Dear All

Greetings from Pune

Pune had the privilege to host the ISOCON way back in November 1997 at B J Medical college. It was organized by Late Professor Dr M G Tepan, a renowned ENT surgeon & Otologist from Pune and founder member of Indian Society of Otology, India. Today after 26 years we have the honour & Pleasure to host it again in November 2023.

Today Pune is the most popular, most sought after, trendy & vibrant city in the state of Maharashtra, located not far from Mumbai, the state capital.

Pune is the cultural capital of Maharashtra and has a great historic past. As early as 17th century, it was the administrative hub of the Maratha kingdom-The Hindavi Swaraj, established by The Great Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In the 18th & early 19th century Pune did play a major role in social reforms and freedom struggle against the British rule. With his electrifying slogan, “Swaraj is my birth-right and I shall have it” Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak stirred the Indian People and breathed new life into our struggle of freedom. Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned at the Yeravda Central Jail several times and placed under house arrest at the Aga Khan Palace.

Post-Independence educational reforms gave rise to stalwart educationists & educational institutes winning Pune the sobriquet, ‘The Oxford of the East’. B J Medical College, Fergusson College, Armed force Medical College, National Defence Academy, College of Engineering-Pune, National Chemical Laboratory, National Institute of Virology, Film & Television Institute of India, Symbiosis International University, ILS Law College are just to name a few. Recently Pune University was rightly renamed as Savitri Phule Pune University (SPPU) for her work toward women’s education.

The hills and forts in the vicinity and the Sahyadri ranges make Pune the most picturesque city on the Deccan plateau and rightly called ‘The Queen of Deccan’. Mahableshwar, Matheran, Lonawala, Khandala & Bhimashankar are the few hill stations around Pune which are frequently visited by tourist from all over India throughout the year. This Makes Pune the Ideal destination for any big event.

From 1960s Pune and its twin township of Pimpri-Chinchwad became an important Industrial Centre in India, especially around the Automobile industry. It continues to be an Auto Hub- ‘The Detroit of the East’ with many of the Indian and International Auto Majors having their presence here. In last two decades Pune has expanded very rapidly to become the fastest growing IT Hub in India.

Pune bhoomi is blessed by great saints like Sant Dnyaneshwar & Sant Tukaram and Lord Ganesha is its Presiding Deity. The Annual Ganesh Festival is Pune’s hallmark with Mandals concept initiated by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and is known all over India for its immersion procession with Dhol, Tasha & Lazim. Dagduseth Halwai Ganesh temple is the famous holy shrine in the city which is visited by millions of devotees every year pan India. Shirdi in Ahmednagar district & Trimbakeshwar in Nasik are other famous holy places close to Pune.

Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, P L Deshpande, Dr Shriram Lagoo & Dr Mohan Agashe are among the artists who have catapulted Pune to national and international fame in Arts, Music & Cinema.

B J Medical College, Pune, a century old teaching institute is ranked among the top 10 institutes to cater medical courses. It along with other six medical colleges including Armed Force Medical College gives Pune the upper hand in medical education and medical research. Late Shri Dr M.G. Tepan, Professor Emeritus, B J Medical institute, put Pune on the world map of otology by his unique work and technique of ‘Combined approach Tympanoplasty’ (CAT) in Cholesteatoma surgery & Gold Prosthesis in Ossiculoplasty. Since then Otology has been in focus and of special interest among all ENT surgeons in Pune. All otological procedures ranging from middle ear surgery, cholesteatoma surgery, surgery for vertigo, lateral skull base surgery, endoscopic ear surgery (EES) and cochlear implant (CI) surgeries are routinely performed in Pune. Multispecialty & Superspeciality hospitals with good and affordable health care facility have made Pune the favorite in medical tourism. Pune is also home to the World’s Largest Vaccine Manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, which during the Covid-19 pandemic manufactured around 5000 vaccine doses every minute.

Pune is now recognized as a “Smart City” and it pledges to become more sustainable in terms of clean air and green energy. Pune is well connected with all major cities and states of India through rail, road and air.

Last but not the least Pune’s people and its culture believe in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam & Atithi Devo Bhava meaning we all are ‘One Family’ & all our guest are like God to us. Pune’s hospitality is at its best!

On these lines, I would say that It’s a very proud moment to host a national conference in Pune city. On behalf of the Organizing committee, I extend a hearty welcome to you all to the 31st Annual Conference of Indian Society of Otology, to be held on the 24-26th of November 2023 at Hotel J W Marriot, Pune.

It’s a big moral responsibility as we are hosting it again after 1997. This means a lot of structured and disciplined work as a team and this will be only possible with the able guidance of our Seniors and the divine blessings of Lord Ganesha.

We assure you of world class academic & surgical feast along with delicious culinary platter and superlative entertainment with desserts! Otology, from perseverance to perfection is our conference motto and we wish to deliver with perseverance the perfect!

J W Marriott, a luxury hotel and conference venue will make your stay most comfortable and this conference your most memorable experience.

Do make it a point to attend the conference and give us the opportunity to serve you the best.

Dr Vijay Sonawane
Organizing Secretary ISOCON 2023